An enduring problem in spacecraft design is to minimize the “dry weight” of the spacecraft, i.e. the mass of components excluding propellant. This problem arises because every extra kilogram (kg) of mass in the spacecraft means less mass allocation available for the payload. Given that the cost of delivering payloads to space is high (from about $10K/kg for bulk deliveries to low Earth orbit to upwards of $1 million/kg for hardware soft-landed on Mars) there is a powerful incentive to reduce the mass of payloads, the launch vehicle, the spacecraft, and the constituent components of these devices.
A common way to address this challenge is through new materials. Alloys or composites that offer high strength, or stiffness, with low density are used when they are available and cost-effective. However, such materials are often difficult and costly to develop. They must satisfy the primary characteristics, such as strength or electrical conductivity, and important secondary characteristics such as resistance to the space environment, electrochemical compatibility with other materials, and manufacturability. Once they are developed, they must be “qualified” (i.e. certified through testing and demonstration) which is itself a costly process.
Thus, a need exists for materials that are similar to existing qualified materials in every way, except that they have a different density.